Editorial: Diversion program
Earlier this summer, Clark County created a new civil court facility near the Strip to deal with those ticketed for minor offenses within the resort corridor.
The idea is to keep such misdemeanor offenders from clogging the criminal courts and the county jail. Instead, illegal Strip peddlers detained by Metro police are sent to the new court in a warehouse behind the Cosmopolitan where they can pay a fine and avoid having the transgression appear on their criminal record.
The county, which in 2012 approved ordinances barring certain commercial activity on Strip sidewalks and pedestrian bridges, estimates that about 60-70 people went through the program in its first month.
On Tuesday, commissioners expanded the effort to include additional offenses such as peddling without a license, selling alcohol or obstructing sidewalks.
The expansion is warranted. It makes little sense to drag these nonviolent scofflaws downtown to spend time in jail before hauling them in front of a judge two or three times until the matter is resolved.
Putting aside the wisdom of making criminals out of those who fail to obtain government permission to hawk Aquafina to tourists sweltering on the Strip, the diversion pilot program represents a more efficient use of taxpayer resources than the alternative.
